Pay vs Place

Guildford vs Leeds: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £207,500 (102%) more in Guildford than in Leeds. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Guildford: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Leeds.

Guildford, terraced
£410,000
Income typically needed: £82,000
Median full-time pay: £46,801
Leeds, terraced
£202,500
Income typically needed: £40,500
Median full-time pay: £36,716

At a glance

Guildford Leeds
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime About average Above average

Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.

What the numbers say

Median full-time pay in Leeds (£36,716) is 22% lower than in Guildford (£46,801), while a typical terraced house costs 51% less (£202,500 against £410,000). Set against local pay, Leeds is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.8× annual pay in Guildford and 5.5× in Leeds. Renting one takes 45% of pay in Guildford and 38% in Leeds. Both are harder in Guildford, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Guildford is the 41st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Leeds is the 114th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Guildford is the 51st most expensive of 316 areas and Leeds is the 106th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Guildford would need about £20,000 in Leeds to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £26,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Leeds would leave you better placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.

Police recorded 72.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Guildford and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 59% higher in Leeds. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.0 per 1,000 in Guildford against 13.0 in Leeds.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Guildford Leeds
Median full-time pay £46,801 £36,716
House price ÷ pay 8.8× 5.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 57% 91%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 45% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Guildford Leeds Difference
Detached £845,000 £430,000 -49% in Leeds
Semi-detached £510,000 £262,000 -49% in Leeds
Terraced £410,000 £202,500 -51% in Leeds
Flat £268,000 £150,000 -44% in Leeds

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Guildford Leeds Difference
Detached £2,500 £1,507 -40% in Leeds
Semi-detached £1,924 £1,226 -36% in Leeds
Terraced £1,749 £1,157 -34% in Leeds
Flat £1,371 £905 -34% in Leeds

Crime

Police recorded 72.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Guildford and 114.6 in Leeds, so recorded crime per resident is 59% higher in Leeds.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Guildford Leeds Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 72.1 114.6 +59% in Leeds
Violence against the person 27.8 44.9 +61% in Leeds
Sexual offences 3.2 4.4 +36% in Leeds
Robbery 0.8 2.2 +191% in Leeds
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.0 13.0 +223% in Leeds
Vehicle offences 3.4 7.0 +106% in Leeds
Theft from the person 0.5 1.3 +143% in Leeds
Criminal damage and arson 6.8 8.5 +26% in Leeds

Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.

How prices have changed in each area

Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.

Guildford: 199Leeds: 181
House prices in Guildford and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Guildford now 199, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Guildford and Leeds since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Guildford now 199, Leeds now 181.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearGuildfordLeeds
2005100100
2006107107
2007120114
2008117110
200910698
2010119103
2011120101
201212599
2013128100
2014141106
2015154111
2016169119
2017172125
2018172130
2019172134
2020175139
2021182151
2022195165
2023197168
2024195171
2025202177
12 months to July 2026199181

In 2005 the average home cost £266,849 in Guildford and £135,425 in Leeds. Now it is £529,902 and £244,464: Guildford is up 99% and Leeds is up 81%. Prices have risen faster in Guildford, so the gap between the two has widened.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Guildford: 11.5 years of payLeeds: 6.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Guildford and LeedsGuildford now 11.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Guildford and LeedsGuildford now 11.5, Leeds now 6.5 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearGuildfordLeeds
20058.9 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20109.2 years of pay5.7 years of pay
201512.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
202011.6 years of pay6.2 years of pay
202511.5 years of pay6.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.9 years of pay in Guildford and 6.1 years in Leeds. In 2025 it was 11.5 years and 6.5 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Guildford over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Guildford: 141Leeds: 151
Rents in Guildford and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Guildford now 141, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Guildford and Leeds since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Guildford now 141, Leeds now 151.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearGuildfordLeeds
2015100100
201610598
2017110102
2018114104
2019117107
2020116112
2021114114
2022119125
2023121136
2024127145
2025134146
August 2026141151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,228 a month in Guildford and £758 in Leeds. Now it is £1,736 and £1,145: up 41% in Guildford and up 51% in Leeds. Rents have risen faster in Leeds.

What your salary is worth in each area

Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.

Moving from Guildford to Leeds

Earning in Guildford Equivalent to buy in Leeds Equivalent to rent in Leeds
£30,000 £15,000 £20,000
£40,000 £20,000 £26,500
£50,000 £24,500 £33,000
£60,000 £29,500 £39,500

Moving from Leeds to Guildford

Earning in Leeds Equivalent to buy in Guildford Equivalent to rent in Guildford
£30,000 £60,500 £45,500
£40,000 £81,000 £60,500
£50,000 £101,000 £75,500
£60,000 £121,500 £90,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Guildford figures · All Leeds figures